Film reel



E. L. FISCHER Feb. 6, 1940.

FILM REEL originall Filed sept. 21, 193e Patented Feb. 6, 1.94.0

'FILM REEL Edwin L. Fischer, Binghamton, N. Y., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Original application September 2.1, l1936, Serial 101,696. Divided and this application` March 17, 1938, Serial No. 196,335

2 Claims.

This invention relates to sound film apparatus and has particular reference to apparatus for handling sound iilm in the form of a continuous loop. This application is a division of'my co-l pending application Serial No. 101,696, filed September 21, 1936.

1As is well known, lm in a continuous loop is used as a sound record bearer for phonographs,

etc., wherever particular sounds may be reproduced in re-occurring cycles. One case wherein this type of illm is used particularly is in duping or adding to a dialogue sound illm such background sound effects as street noise, sound of sea waves, wind, etc. The illm, in a continuous loop,

l5 is run over and over again through the sound reproducing or duping apparatus, thus economizing in illm and its attending expenses.

Due to the fact that the looped end of a continuousfilm of theusual cellulose base type is easily broken when creased during the Winding of the illm'upon the usual type of ilm reel, it has been the practice heretoforeto store continuous loop illm by suspending one end of a loop thereof on a peg or by rolling the film into a roll suillciently loose to prevent creasing oi7 the looped end portion thereofi Bothoof these methods require considerable space and necessitate great care during handling.

One object of the present invention is to facilitate storing a film in the form of a continuous loop.

AAnother object of the invention is to protect continuous nlm loops when not in use and to facilitate attachment and removal of the loops to and from a lm reel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a film loop reel which facilitates the attachment and removal of a loop of sound iilm to and from a sound reproducer.

The manner in which these objects are accomplished will be apparent from the following specication taken in conjunction' with the accompanying drawing wherein:

`Figure 1 is a perspective view of a reel for 5 storinga lm loop according to the present invention. v

f-Flgure 2 is a sectional view through the reel and is taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the o reel and is taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.'

Referring to, Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the continuous loop film reel III comprises an annular hub Il around which a illm in the form of a continuous loopis adapted to be wound. Flanges I2 and I3 are suitably secured on either end of (ci. zic-vo)- hub II to guide the lm laterally thereon. Cen-A trally located holes I4 having keyways I5 therein permit the reel I0 to be mounted upon a keyed shaft, as shown by the dotted lines I6 of Fig. 3. A stud member Il is secured at one end to the 5 flange I2, as at I8, and extends parallel to the axis of the hub vI I and within the inner periphery thereof. A transverse opening or slot I9 extends the entire length of the hub II at a point adjacent the stud member I1. One edge 20 of the l0 hub II, dening one edge of the opening I9, is bent inwardly in a radius considerably less than the radius of the hub I I to permit the looped end 26 of a continuous loop film 22 to be passed tangentially thereon from the stud member Il while l5 being wound upon the hub II. The ange I3 has an opening or slot 23 therein to permit the iilml to be passed transversely upon the stud member il and into the slot I9. Opening 23 comprises an enlarged opening 24 directly opposite the free end of stud member Il and a slot-like portion 25 communicating therewith and with the transverse opening I9' and outwardly to the perpihery of flange I3.

Auhough the stud member l1 is shown as being 25 preferably positioned close to the inner periphery of the hub member Il in order to permit the portion of the iilm adjacent the inner looped end thereof to be passed or wound upon the hub II with theleast amount of curvature, it is to be 30 understood that the stud I1 may also be provided coaxially with the axis of the hub II, or in fact, in any position within the inner periphery of hub I I.

On threading the iilm upon the reel I0, a looped 35 end portion as at 26 (Fig. 2) is passed transversely through the slot 23, onto the stud member il and through the opening I9. rThe lm is then Wrapped tangentially upon the inwardly curved portion 2li of hub II and thence around the pe- 40 riphery of the hub Il in the usual spiral manner.

In order to hold the outer looped endportion 21 of the iilm from 'accidentally unwinding, a loose rubber band, as at 28, may be passed around the lm roll.A Preferably the outer end 2l is kept 45 below the periphery of the anges I2 and I3 to prevent accidental creasing or breaking of the film at this point. In order to permit handling of the illm reel within close tting magazines,

a pair of finger holes 29 and 30 are provided on 50 the outer ange I3 to permit the fingers of an operator tobe inserted therein to handle the reel I0. A button 3| is also secured to the outer flange I3 ne'ar the periphery thereof and has a depression 32 therein in the central portion u thereof to permit `the thumb or .iingers of the operator to be inserted therein for manual rotation of the reel if desired. This button 3| prevents the fingers of the operator from extending within the flange I3 and into the path of the lm 22 as it is being manually wound or unwound from the hub Il.

As shown in my above identified copending application, the reel I0 containing the iilm loop -22 is placed upon the shaft I6 of a sound reproducer. The rubber band 28 is then removed and the outer end of the loop threaded through the sound reproducer. In' returning the film loop to the reel I 0, the iilm is unthreaded from the sound head and a loop formed and placed around'stud l1. The ringer or thumb may then be placed upon the button 3|, the reel rotated, thus winding up the lm, after which the rubber band 28 may be snapped in place.

By the use of such a storage reel, the film loop is protected when not in use, and the design of 'the reel facilitates threading and unthreading of the machine in which the lm is used.

What is claimed is: 1. A lm reel comprising an annular hub around which lm is adapted to be wound, anges on either end of said hub, said hub having a transversely extending slot therein, a transversely extending stud member within said hub having one end secured to the inner side of one of said flanges, the other of said iianges having an opening therethrough located in alignment with said stud member and said slot, said opening extending to the periphery of said ange.

2. A nlm reel for storing a iilm in a continuous loop which comprises a hub around which said illm is adapted to be wound, said hub having a chamber therein and a transversely extending slot communicating said chamber with the periphery of said hub, ilanges at the ends of said hub, a transversely extending stud member in said chamber, and having one endxedlyattached to the inner side of one of said flanges, the other end of said stud member being unsupported, and lying substantially in the plane of said other iiange, said other flange having an opening therein communicating with said chamber and said slot and extending outwardly to the periphery of said flange. 4

EDWIN L. FISCHER. 

